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Hepatitis B virus infection among HIV-infected pregnant women in Malawi and transmission to infants
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Hepatitis B virus infection among HIV-infected pregnant women in Malawi and transmission to infants

Charles S. Chasela, Athena P. Kourtis, Patrick Wall, Jan Drobeniuc, Caroline C. King, Hong Thai, Eyasu H. Teshale, Mina Hosseinipour, Sascha Ellington, Mary B. Codd, …
Journal of hepatology, Vol.60(3), pp.508-514
03/01/2014
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2013.10.029
PMCID: PMC4411040
PMID: 24211737
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/4411040View
Open Access

Abstract

The extent of HBV infection to infants of HBV/HIV-coinfected pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess prevalence of HBV infection among antiretroviral-naïve, HIV-infected pregnant women in Malawi and examine HBV transmission to their infants. Plasma from 2048 HIV-infected, Malawian women and their infants were tested for markers of HBV infection. Study participants were provided standard-of-care health services, which included administration of pentavalent vaccine to infants at 6, 10, and 14weeks of age. One-hundred and three women (5%) were HBsAg-positive; 70 of these HBsAg-positive women were also HBV-DNA-positive. Sixteen women (0.8%) were HBV-DNA-positive but HBsAg-negative. Five of 51 infants (9.8%) born to HBsAg-positive and/or HBV-DNA-positive women were HBV-DNA-positive by 48weeks of age.HBV DNA concentrations of two infants of mothers who received extended lamivudine-containing anti-HIV prophylaxis were <4 log10 IU/ml compared to ⩾8 log10 IU/ml in three infants of mothers who did not. HBV DNA was detected in nearly 10% of infants born to HBV/HIV-coinfected women. Antenatal testing for HIV and HBV, if instituted, can facilitate implementation of prophylactic measures against infant infection by both viruses.
Hepatitis Sub-Saharan Africa Antiviral therapy HIV Mother-to-child transmission

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